Dark Paradise
by rosa-oscura
Summary: Christine finds herself working for the world renowned Manhattand Opera House, but what she dosent expect from her demanding job is meeting and having mixed feelings for the misterious opera owner... A MODERN DAY LOVE STORY.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do **not** own Phantom of the Opera or its characters.

**A/N:** Welcome to dark paradise! This is my second story on fan fiction and I hope you guys like it

Enjoy

Chapter one

Christine looked up to the older man sitting behind the wooden desk. He had gray white hair and wrinkles around his clear blue eyes. Behind those blue eyes she saw compassion and sympathy staring back at her. It was with this sympathy that she relied on to find a job at the Manhattan Opera House. She didn't want to be seen as a charity case but she was quickly running out of options as well as money. Her father had passed a couple months ago, leaving Christine with debt and no means of supporting herself. The little money she had was just enough to rent the small apartment. She watched the old man as he shifted through papers looking for an opening.

"I'm sorry Miss Daae, I just don't have anything to offer you at the moment." The old man said while he gathered the scattered paper work.

"Please sir, Ill does anything." She hated to sound desperate but she needed a job by the end of the week.

He looked back at her but said nothing. The small office was illuminated by a single lamp behind the desk, making it difficult to see her surroundings. She couldn't wait to get home and succumb to sleep but she needed an answer first. She looked all over town for a job but no one seemed interested. She had to admit she didn't have much to offer without a college degree and very little experience but she was determined to find a job and once she had one she found one she would work extremely hard making sure she would keep it. Finally, the awkward silence was broken when the old man looked down and spoke.

"ok…I do have one job to offer you-but it's a lot of work for such little pay."

"Anything" Christine reminded him.

"A seamstress for Miss Carlotta, she has been our leading lady for the past three years… I must warn you Miss Daae, this isn't an easy job, you will have to work long hours to make sure that everything is perfect for the performances and even then it is difficult to match up to her expectations. That is why I was hesitant to offer you the position in the first place. No one has been able to remain in this position for more then several months"

Christine looked down before answering; the old man was concerned for her, which indicated that he didn't believe she could do it. She wasn't use to working in this industry and perhaps it would be too much to ask of her. But she was guaranteed a paycheck and that's what she had been after.

"I can do it sir." She said looking up at him.

"I do hope so. Working here is not easy, the owner, Mr. Desseler expects perfection and many find themselves unemployed at the first mistake they make. There is no room for failure"

"I understand, Thank you for the opportunity I won't let you down."

He said nothing but handed her couple of papers detailing the position.

"I hope you don't mind, but we will need you by tomorrow. We have a performance coming up and need the costumes finished."

"Ill be here tomorrow" She smiled at the man who had given her hope.

"Good. Be here tomorrow at nine ready to work."

"Thank you" she smiled and turned away. As she excited the building she noticed that it had begun to rain and the temperature had dropped. Dressed inadequately for the weather, she decided that it would be best to take a cab home. Normally, should would not be able to afford a ride home, but she didn't want to risk becoming sick. Her attendance at her new job needed to be perfect.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Christine arrived at her one bedroom walkup apartment. The cab ride was long and tiring. She unlocked and opened the heavy wooden door and entered into the dark apartment. Dropping her small purse on the floor she walked to her bedroom. Turning on the light she looked around and found sweatpants and a sweater to change into. After she changed she walked to the kitchen and started boiling some water for tea. Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts about tomorrow. What would she be expected to do? She could sow and was not worried about that part of her job, but rather the people whom she would be working with. Carlotta sounded difficult and initially, that was who she was now working for. She was determined to keep this job. No matter the circumstances she needed to show that she was worthy of the opportunity she had been given.

She slowly drank her tea and took a hot shower in the attempt to soothe her aching muscles. After several hours passed she changed into a t-shirt and climbed into bed. Tomorrow would be a long day and she needed her rest, she pulled the covers over her shoulders and stared at the ceiling while she patiently waited for sleep to take her. Although she was exhausted, something kept her awake. An unnamed feeling… as if tomorrow marked the beginning of something new and important in her life. She couldn't shake the feeling away, it went beyond nervousness. Every since she stepped out of the Opera House she could feel her thoughts turn back to tomorrow and what it would bring. Being a little freaked out by the effect that this was having on her, she closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing deeply so she could calm herself down… '_Tomorrow would be the start of something new'_, was her last thought before she fell into a dreamless sleep.

**Please Review **


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own phantom of the opera or its character's.

A/N: I accidently posted the wrong version of this chapter before, so sorry if any of you saw that . It wasn't even edited and it was the first draft of this chapter. Here's the real version.

Enjoy.

Chapter 2 - introductions

Christine awoke to the annoying sound of her high pitched alarm clock that was placed next to her bed; the sun was just beginning to stream through the thin white curtains. She pushed the heavy covers away from her and reluctantly got up from the warm bed walking slowly over to the small closet. She looked over the choices for today's outfit. She chose a classic black dress, the dress was sleeveless, a modest v neck and the hem line hitting her right above the knees. She looked in the mirror to let her long curls down and applying lipstick to her full lips before grabbing her purse and heading out.

xxx

The cab ride was long, but it gave Christine time to think about the day and the things she would need to do for this job. Luckily the ride came to a stop before the over pending feeling of fear began to kick in.

"Here we are miss!" the driver called from the front seat eager to move on to the next passenger.

Christine stepped out of the warm cab and into the morning fresh air. The sun was high in the sky but it did little to warm her against the cold winter weather. She paid the driver in dollar bills and shut the cab door with a loud thud. As the cab pulled away from the curb Christine turned to look at the enormous building before her. Unlike most of the buildings in the city, the opera house had a certain old world charm to its architecture, it shown like a beacon of beauty and elegance among the generic concrete buildings that surrounded it. She walked towards the main doors which were made completely of glass except the golden metal knobs that she used to pull open the door. Once inside she was greeted by complete silence, obviously they just opened their doors to the public. She walked further into the grand foyer where she noticed just how beautiful the interior was. The gray marble floors that complimented to marble columns on the side, the long windows that eliminated the entire room with the glow of the morning sun, and the crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling that reflected the sunlight in a million different directions. Her heels were clicking against the marble floor with each step she took until she heard a famine voice behind her making her come to a complete stop before slowly turning to find the person that called out to her.

"Miss Tickets can be purchased online! We haven't opened to the public yet" an attractive woman with long blond hair and big blue eyes called from behind a desk that was placed in the corner near the entrance.

"Oh no I'm not here for tickets. My name is Christine Daae I was just employed here"

"Really?" the woman said as she looked down searching for a notification paper.

"Oh! They never tell me anything around here, well it's nice to meet you Christine, my name is Meg" she said with a smile. Christine liked her, she seemed friendly enough.

"I'm sorry who was your employer?" she asked still searching for the missing paper.

"Mr. Salvatore hired me for the seamstress position, assisting Miss Carlotta."

Meg looked up from her search, alarm in her eyes. "Oh well… I can't seem to find Mr. Salvatore notice, but i guess ill find it in time" you may go through those doors it will lead you to the auditorium and someone should be there to assist you. We have practice going on at the moment but I believe someone will be back stage" Meg smiled and pointed to the double doors straight ahead.

"Thank you"

"And please call me Meg, were coworkers now" she smiled, Christine had the feeling that she was going to like her a lot. It was a good start to this stressful day. Christine smiled back and started to head towards the doors.

"Oh Christine!-um… good luck" she said before answering an awaiting call.

Christine walked in the direction of the auditorium; she opened one of the double doors to get inside. When she was inside, she slowly walked down the aisle admiring the beauty inside. The red velvet seats, the matching crystal chandelier that hung in the foyer was hanging above, and grand stage which was outlined by beautiful detail and art work and ofcouse a red velvet curtain. On the stage she could see that the ballet was practicing, the tall beautiful women were dressed in tutus and dancing gracefully to the haunting melody that played in the back ground.

"AGAIN! Ugh… ladies opening night is soon and we are not ready!" Woman dressed in all black called from the side, her staff hit the ground and the haunting music began to play the delicate ballerinas formed three lines and began to dance gracefully across stage. It was beautiful and Christine was mesmerized by both the music and the dance. However the peaceful trance was broken when the staff hit the ground hard.

"NO no no! ugh keep practicing ladies… I need coffee." The woman said as she turned around and descended down the stage. Christine noticed that she was an older woman probably in her forties; her brown eyes met Christine's.

"Can I help you?" the woman asked not recognized her.

Christine was intimidated by the woman before her she embodied someone that was head strong and stubborn, finally she found her voice.

"Um… yes actually, I'm looking for Mr. Salvatore. My name is Christine I was employed for the seamstress position"

"Ah- for Miss Carlotta, well that's a shame, you seem like a nice girl" she said before smiling never taking her eyes off her. Christine wasn't quite sure what to think of her comment.

"I am Mrs. Giry. The ballet instructor here."

"Nice to meet you, do you think you could point me in the right direction? I need to meet Miss Carlotta to ask her about the work I will be doing"

"sure, ill lead you towards her dressing room this way" she turned and walked towards a door that was hidden from the public view just on the side of the stage.

They reached backstage halls which were filled with people running up and down in a hurry, people slamming doors coming out of dressing rooms, props and costumes outlined every possible corner dancers were stretching on the far wall, actors were reading their scripts, others leaning over cluttered mirrors as they applied their stage makeup. Christine felt an overwhelming feeling wash over her.

"Carlotta's dressing room in located down the hall it's the last dressing room to your right. She should be getting ready for rehearsal so I would assume that she will need a lot of help, once you get there she will assign you your duties, good luck"

"Thank you for all your help" Christine said before turning and leaving the ballet instructor behind she walked through the halls like a maze she looked around feeling completely out of place. Everyone seemed to be completely oblivious to her presence, she didn't know whether she liked that or not. As she walked through the hall she was getting closer to the dressing room and soon she was standing in front of the door. She opened the door with caution before taking a deep breath and slowly walking inside.

Christine stepped into the room the fragrance of roses in the air, the walls were painted a soft pink and hundreds of flowers were outlined all the walls. Each piece of furniture looked delicate and feminine which complimented the room. On the far wall, a huge mirror was inclined the border was a gold color that made the carving designs stand out. The mirror was floor length. Christine looked at her refection then admired the fine craftsmanship of the piece. Then she noticed a beautiful red headed woman looking back at her sitting on the vanity by the corner.

The woman pulled the cigarette from her mouth before puffing the smoke in Christine's direction. Her gaze was studying every movement she made.

"Are you the new girl they hired for me?" her voice was melodic but not at all soothing.

"Christine Daae, I was hired last night as your seamstress" Christine walked towards her direction and held her hand out as greeting. Carlotta ignored the gesture and looked toward the left; Christine followed her gaze and noticed a long rack which hung heavy looking gowns.

"I need all those repaired by the end of this week"

"But that only gives me two days…" she looked at the rack realizing how much work she would have to do.

Carlotta gracefully stood and started to walk towards the door, her red curls hung to her lower back. "I see. Well if you do not want the job I'm sure we can find a replacement within the hour, thank-"

"No! ill do it. I just didn't realized the production was so soon"

Charlotte chuckled to herself as she looked at Christine. "Production is not for another three weeks but I want them done by this week, is that a problem?" she knew that this job would be far more challenging then what she originally thought.

She was hesitant to answer "no, Ill have them done." She repeated.

"we shall see. Well I demand perfection if you cannot deliver it then I'm sure we can find someone who will and someone that will actually _want_ this job"

Christine cringed at her tone of voice as she watched Carlotta walk out of the room and down the crowded hallway.

Christine walked towards the rack and examined each garment carefully. There was a lot of work to do and she was not sure if she could finish the job in two days. But she could not be defeated by Carlotta and she needed the money if she was to pay the rent next month. She shifted through the dresses admiring the beautiful lacing, embroidery and beading that each gown contained, each was a work of art and each would need to be handled with extreme care.

Xxx

It was eight pm and Christine had just finished mending the a long red gown that needed to be costum fitted to Carlotta, but she had gone home hours before and Christine could not finish the job without her. She decided to call it a night and carefully placed the gown back into the rack that. She had repaired almost half of the gowns on the rack but there was a lot still to finish, not to mention that she needed Carlotta's approval for each one of them. She was told that Carlotta was very particular when it came to her costume's and would fire any seamstress that she deemed unfit for the job which apparently was a lot since no one seemed able to keep this job over a short amount of time. Yes, she would put up with the demands and orders from the beautiful red head if it meant that she would be able to keep the job.

Christine grabbed her purse and opened the door to leave the dressing room. She walked through the halls which were now mostly empty from actors and dancers that occupied it before, now if was filled with assistants, and stage hands preparing everything for tomorrow. As she made her way towards the foyer Christine thought about her day, it wasn't so bad. She had met Meg who seemed genuinely friendly and Mrs. Giry which although looked at her with doubtful eyes still seemed like she had a softer side to her. Of course Carlotta was going to be difficult but she already expected that and for the first day Christine summed it up as a pretty successful. Tomorrow she would seek Carlotta's approval for the gowns and she would show her that she could work under hard circumstances.

"Oh Christine! I have a message for you!" Christine didn't even realize that meg was still working in the front desk until she saw the petite blond make her way towards her holding a small piece of paper in her right hand.

"Here, I was told to give this to you" Meg handed her the piece of paper and Christine took it without reading it.

"So… how was your first day?" Meg questioned with a worried look on her face. She had a feeling that no one believed she could do this job.

"It went fine" Christine answered with a smile.

"That bad huh? Well maybe tomorrow will be better" meg smiled before saying goodbye and returning to her desk.

Chrisitne stepped into the cold night air as she walked towards the edge of the curb waiting to hail a available cab. Once she found one and was inside she made herself comfortable and that's when she realized just how tired she felt. Every bone in her body ached and her fingertips were sore from the repeated poking she got while mending the gowns. She looked at the small paper in her hands and carefully unfolded it. Written neatly in black ink she read the text.

Welcome Miss Daae, I hope you find your job up to par. Do not disappoint us.

-Desseler

A/N: let me know what you think, please review


End file.
